G/TBT/GEN/322  
 
9 March 2022  
(22-2140) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
 
AGENDA ITEM 4: TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  
UPDATE BY ANSI ON ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE WORK OF THE TBT COMMITTEE  
This document contains information provided by the United States  at the TBT Committee meeting  
of 9-11 March 2022  under Agenda Item 4.  
 
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Standards Alliance Brief covering the period November 2021 to March 2022. More information 
regarding the overall Standards Alliance Phase 2 (2019 -2024) can be found here. 
 
1.  The United States takes our commitment to capacity building seriously. As such, we would call 
member attention to our continued efforts to support the understanding and implementation of t he 
TBT Agreement through the Standards Alliance program. The Standards Alliance is a public -private 
partnership between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the American 
National Standards Institute (ANSI), which coordinates with devel oping and least developed 
countries to identify and prioritize areas for technical assistance.  
2.  The Standards Alliance was established in 2012 with a focus on the implementation of the TBT 
Agreement in 10 country/regions and was expanded in 2016 to include  West and Southern Africa. 
The first phase of the Standards Alliance ended in September 2021; however, the program was 
renewed for a second phase in 2019. Phase 2 of the Standards Alliance remains active and builds 
upon the successes and measured impacts o f first phase to provide targeted technical assistance to 
developing countries. The second phase focuses on support related to the development and 
implementation of National Quality Infrastructure and Good Regulatory Practices that are rooted in 
the princi ples of the TBT Agreement.  
3.  Altogether, the Standards Alliance Phase 1 completed 107 trainings, workshops, and delegation 
visits. Under Phase 2, the Standards Alliance has so far delivered 31 events, reaching 5021 
participants. These activities have advanc ed partner countries’ understanding and application of the 
TBT principles and transparency mechanisms. By the end of 2021, all Standards Alliance Phase 2 
activities have begun work, and in particular between November 2021 -March 2022 have included 
the follo wing:  
• In response to the COVID -19 pandemic, the Standards Alliance supports technical capacity in 
the medical devices sector , while also helping participating nations identify technical and 
regulatory barriers to trade. This activity, the " Medical Device R egulatory Convergence 
(MDRC) project" , builds the capacity of partner countries to effectively implement standards 
and conformity assessment procedures related to medical devices; remove technical barriers 
to trade for medical devices; increase patients’ a ccess to needed high -quality Personal 
Protective Equipment (PPE) and other medical technologies in response to COVID -19 and 
future global health crises; and foster private sector engagement in the (medtech) regulatory 
space. The project countries of focus include Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Indonesia, 
Vietnam, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.  
The MDRC has hosted 22 trainings and workshops to advance objectives for global, regional, 
and local stakeholders in the public and private sectors. These workshops convened an 
estimated 4,650 participants, of which about 2,860 were from the private sector  and about 
2,880 were women (61.9%). This group includes experts and professionals from academia, G/TBT/GEN/322  
 
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  the private sector, Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs), national regulatory 
authorities (NRAs), international organizations, and numerous other vital s takeholders.  
The MDRC has packaged the findings of its Phase One, Tier One gap analyses and literature 
reviews from all project countries in a unified Tier One report. This report includes assessments 
of GRP implementation by country as well as an overarc hing chart to allow for comparison 
across project countries. The Tier One report is undergoing final review before publication in 
Q2 2022. While this is the final draft, it remains a live document. As more input and feedback 
from governments and relevant s takeholders are received, this report may be updated 
throughout the project.  
In Latin America, the project further strengthened its online module development and virtual 
resource library, which can be accessed here: Standards Alliance Phase 2 COVID -19 
Medical Device Regulatory Convergence Project (MDRC) – Regulatory Convergence . 
(interamericancoalition -medtech.org)  
• An ongoing web series on international best practices for cosmetics standards with the 
African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) . ANSI, ARSO and the Personal Care 
Product Council (PCPC) hosted a fifth webinar in coordination with members of the GCC 
Standardization Organizati on (GSO) on international cosmetics frameworks. This webinar, as 
well as the past four events were developed to support the harmonization of African personal 
care and cosmetics standards. With guidance from PCPC and ARSO Technical Committee 40 
(TC40) on co smetics, ANSI and ARSO have launched a virtual series including ten 90 -minute 
webinars on international best practice for cosmetics standards as well as a thematic session 
for TC40 members during the ARSO GA.  
• A multi -year "Harmonization of Petroleum Standa rds in West Africa " project, targeting 
four of the largest petroleum producing/ extraction and refining economies: Nigeria, Ghana, 
Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. The project aims to encourage testing laboratories to use 
harmonized testing protocols that are up  to date and fit for purpose in the ECOWAS region. 
On March 1 -3, the SA2 hosted a 3 -day workshop in Ghana including focal points from the 
4 aforementioned countries. The workshop was intended to introduce the focal points to 
technical experts at ASTM and A PI and to kick start relationship building and create awareness 
of the standards related issues that will be agreed as part of the project. The workshop also 
included a site visit to the Ghana Standards Authority’s lab and the Verity Labs, in Tema, 
Ghana, where a few tests were run for participants.  
• In coordination with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Centre for 
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), the Standards Alliance will host two 
consecutive workshops on clean renewable fuel (for transport and household use) 
in Togo and the Gambia,  which have a demonstrated need and opportunity for biofuels. In 
concert with ECOWAS’s efforts to develop a regional renewable fuel standard, the momentum 
generated by an introductory bioethanol workshop which was held at the end of 2021, will 
gather  high-level stakeholders who can then help galvanize further understanding and support 
for the two national workshops. These workshops are scheduled for March 17 and 18 and 
March 21 & 22, 20 22. 
• Utility Management Standards Training for Water Sector Utilities:  Effective 
management of water sector utilities is crucial to providing reliable and water supply and 
sanitation services, and a well -managed utility can be a driver to promote economic 
development. The use of standards, such as AWWA’s Utility Management Standards, assists 
water sector entities in addressing these challenges by improving utility management and 
performance over time, increasing utility efficiency, reliability, consistency, and providing 
safer water to the general public. This project is taking place in India and Africa (Malawi, 
Lesotho, and Zambia). AWWA Utility Management Standards will be introduced to water sector 
utilities though a series of in -person and virtual worksho ps.  Introducing these standards and 
providing instruction on how to implement them at utilities in India will provide social, 
economic, and public health benefits to the local communities.  
• Plumbing the Legal Depths — Creating a Pipeline Between Legal Enab ling and 
NQI.This project performs diagnostics of the existing legal, policy and institutional frameworks G/TBT/GEN/322  
 
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  governing NQI related to the WASH sector in Ghana, Uganda, and Zambia. These diagnostics 
assess the enabling environment to increase access to drinkin g water and sanitation, support 
the adoption and application of international WASH standards, and enable the removal of 
WASH NQI barriers to trade in WASH products. Legal gaps and shortcomings will be identified, 
and recommendations made on how these gaps can be addressed by aligning them to 
international standards and best practices. Further, the findings and recommendations will be 
validated with stakeholders and completed reports will be disseminated widely with 
government agencies, creating opportunitie s for reform.  
• Increase the Flow of Wash Services  - This project will work with foreign ministries, local 
industry and manufacturers to develop a roadmap focused on improving countries’ access to 
safe and efficient WASH products, removing technical barriers  to trade, standardizing 
conformity assessment practices and helping to develop much -needed supply chains of safe 
products. In Indonesia, IAPMO will assist the National Standardization Agency of Indonesia 
(BSN) to develop and adopt a new national standard related to faucets and to provide technical 
assistance to relevant ministries on its adoption and enforcement. As the final endpoint of 
water delivery systems, this new standard will ensure that these products meet basic levels 
of safety and efficiency. St andardization and enforcement in this area is critical to protecting 
the performance and health of drinking water systems for Indonesian’s citizens. To date IAPMO 
and the BSN technical committee have begun discussing the formulation of a new faucet 
standar d, and the committee has developed a draft standard.  
4.  Additionally, the Standards Alliance has a robust pipeline of activities that are in early stages of 
implementation. These include activities focused on best practices for water and sanitation in Latin 
America, Africa, and the Middle East; as well as awareness building trainings on reinforced concrete 
standards and building code adoption in Kenya. This initiative continues to emphasize transparency 
and to promote the foundational principles of the TBT Agr eement.  
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